I’ll Take ‘Questions You Can’t Possibly Answer’ for $1,000, Alex

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $50 gift certificate from CSN Stores!**

Here’s one of the reasons I feel I have failed to accomplish anything lately: Caedmon’s questions. The boy has not stopped asking questions for about a month, and it’s starting to wear me out. It’s not that they’re bad, because they’re not. It’s that he wants to know intricate details about everything. And he asks the same questions over and over again. He already knows the answer…because he can answer them himself if I make him. I love his curiosity. He’s smart and intuitive. But seriously? The constant questions have a way of sucking the life out of you and turning your brain to mush.

Here’s an excerpt of a walk/bike ride we took the other day. This conversation took place over a span of about 5 minutes. We were on the walk/bike ride for 20 minutes. The rest of the ride sounded very much like this:

Me: Caedmon, would you like to go for a bike ride? Oz can go too.

Caedmon: Yes! I’m so excited! Oz is going with us? Why is Oz going with us? Is Oz so excited? Does he want to go? Where is his leash?

Me: I’m glad you’re excited. Sure, Oz wants to go. See how excited he is? His leash is in the cabinet. I’ll get it. Here, help me push your bike outside.

(We push his bike outside and down the hill in the driveway to the sidewalk.)

Caedmon: Why are we pushing my bike? Why can’t I ride it down the hill? When can I put my helmet on? Does Oz have a helmet?

Me: You can’t ride your bike down the hill because it’s too steep and you don’t know how to use your brakes very well. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself.

Caedmon: You want me to be safe?

Me: Yes. Now buckle your helmet and we’ll go. (Helmet buckled, he starts riding with Oz and me behind.)

Caedmon: Where are we going?

Me: Down the street.

Caedmon: Why down the street?

Me: We can stay at our house if you’d like.

Caedmon: No, I want to go down the street.

Me: Ok, that sounds good. (About 2 seconds later:)

Caedmon: Momma, what is that noise?

Me: That’s a dog barking, Caedmon. You know that sound.

Caedmon: Why is he barking?

Me: I don’t know. Maybe he wishes he was out here walking with you.

Caedmon: No, he’s hungry. (Apparently all animals are constantly hungry.) (A neighbor we don’t know walks out of her house with her 2 dogs on leashes, and starts walking down the street in the opposite direction on the opposite side of the street.)

Caedmon: Who is that? What are those dogs’ names? Where are they going? Are they going for a walk? Why are they going down the street?

Me: I don’t know her name or her dogs’ names. They’re walking down the street to get some exercise.

Caedmon: Why do they need exercise?

Me: Dogs like exercise. Except for Oz. He’s lazy. (Sigh. I shouldn’t have said that because…)

Caedmon: Oz is lazy? Why is Oz lazy?

Me: Oz is lazy because that’s just the kind of dog he is. (Water company truck drives down the street.)

Caedmon: Who is that? What is he doing? Where is he going?

Me: That’s the water guy. He’s reading everyone’s meters with his computer. It’s his job.

Caedmon: Why is that his job? What does he do?

Me: I guess because that’s the job he has. He reads the meters so we know how much to pay the water company. (Water truck drives by again, goes down another street in our neighborhood.)

Caedmon: Where is he going now?

Me: Down the other street to keep doing his job.

Caedmon: Will he run over us?

Me: No, we’re on the sidewalk.

Caedmon: Why are we on the sidewalk?

Me: We need to stay on the sidewalk so we can stay safe. Cars don’t go on the sidewalk. Only people and boys with bikes.

Caedmon: And dogs.

Me: Yes, and dogs too.